necropolis of Pantalica

Welcome to the Necropolis of Pan-ta-li-ca, a place where the deep silence of history is etched directly into the rugged limestone of southeastern Sicily. As you stand here, at the confluence of the An-ah-po and Cal-chi-na-ra…

Our journey begins along a path that is itself a ghost of a more recent history. We are walking on the bed of the old See-ra-koo-sah to Vig-ee-zee-nee railway, a narrow-gauge line that once chugged through these canyons. …

As you look across the gorge to the north, you are confronted with one of the most spectacular sights in all of Sicily. This is the North Necropolis, the oldest and largest concentration of tombs in Pan-ta-li-ca, dating back to…

Climbing toward the highest point of the plateau, we reach the An-ak-tor-on, or the Prince's Palace. This is a rare example of a megalithic building from the See-kel period, dating back to the eleventh century BC. …

The story of Pan-ta-li-ca does not end with the See-kels. Many centuries later, during the Byzantine period between the sixth and ninth centuries AD, the site saw a dramatic re-occupation. …

Descending toward the Cal-chi-na-ra River, we enter the more untamed heart of the nature reserve. This gorge is narrower and steeper than the An-ah-po, offering a wilderness experience that feels largely unchanged since ancient…

Our final stop among the burial grounds is the South Necropolis, which dates to the ninth and eighth centuries BC. This area reflects the final phases of See-kel culture at Pan-ta-li-ca before the inhabitants began to merge with…

As we conclude our journey through the Necropolis of Pan-ta-li-ca, take a final moment to look back at the dramatic landscape we have explored. We have walked in the footsteps of the ancient See-kel people, through the dark eyes…